IPSWICH Wanderers Development side are ‘buzzing’ to be in the Parkers Pitches Suffolk Junior Cup Semi-Finals.

Wanderers play Stanton at Debenham Leisure Centre FC on Saturday afternoon, kick-off 2pm, for a place in their final versus either Cockfield United or AFC Kesgrave.

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Vincenzo Catania, the Wanderers manager, said: “Firstly, and naturally, the team is buzzing to be involved in the Junior Cup semi-finals.

“Our league form has been very much up and down, but this cup competition has been a very welcome break from that and, to be fair, the team has risen to everything put in their way so far, so hopefully we can raise our game and get into the final!”

The two sides know each other well – Wanderers currently occupy tenth position in the Gateway 14 SIL Division One table, six points behind seventh-placed Stanton, albeit with five matches in hand.  

“We’ve had two really close well-balanced games against Stanton in the league this season and both teams know enough about each other to know that this game is anyone’s.

“Personally, we think it’s a good thing to know the opposition well and hopefully that knowledge will serve us well.

“However, it also means that Stanton, too, have that knowledge on us which makes it all the more interesting and adds some extra spice to this fixture, if that’s possible,” he said.

Wanderers are the only one of the four semi-finalists who have had to play in every round, knocking-out Kessingland 5-0, before beating Saxmundham Sports 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

They then defeated Framlingham Town ‘A’ 3-1 and Gipping Gnats 4-0 to reach the final four.

Catania, who expects to have a full squad to choose from, said the highlight of their run to the semi-finals was seeing off Saxmundham Sports in the penalty shoot-out, and got them thinking this could be their year to lift the cup.

He said: “I think the team would agree with me when I say the highlight was definitely knocking out Saxmundham Sports on penalties on their home turf.

“It was a game of two halves, where either team could have nicked it but in the end as harsh as it is, we managed to come through the shoot-out thanks to a great save from our keeper. 

“We knew on that day we had taken on one of the favourites and come away successful, but we didn’t get ahead of ourselves because we know that there are still some very good teams left in the competition but knowing that there was one less certainly got us thinking.” 

Ipswich Wanderers (blue shirts) are pictured above in action at home to Bardwell Wasps (maroon shirts) in a league game.

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